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India: no country for women

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Also agreed that situation in North side is more alarming due to arrogant culture among the people and men do not respect women in best possible manner. That is why you will also see more cases of female infanticide in northern indian states. I am also from North India but after living in south india or in US you can see the contrast pretty well.

The south in general seems to be more mellow than the north. Is there a big cultural difference between the north anf south?
 
Thai and hill tribe women and
girls are trafficked to Japan,
Malaysia, South Africa, Bahrain,
Australia, Singapore, Europe,
Canada and the United States
for sexual and labor exploitation.
1 Many women are girls are
trafficked by international
criminal syndicates. 2 Many Thai
are lured to Taiwan, Malaysia,
the United States, and the
Middle East by labor recruiting
agencies and are forced into
involuntary servitude because of
the high debt owed to the
agencies. 3
Within the country women were
trafficked from the impoverished
Northeast and the North to
Bangkok for sexual exploitation.
However, internal trafficking of
women appeared to be on the
decline, due to prevention
programs and better economic
opportunities. Women also were
trafficked to Japan, Malaysia,
Singapore, Bahrain, Australia,
South Africa, Europe, and the
United States chiefly for sexual
exploitation but also for
sweatshop labor. Men were
trafficked into the country for
commercial fisheries and farm,
industrial, and construction
labor. Prosecution of traffickers
of men was complicated by the
lack of coverage in the law. 4
Transit
A number of women and girls
from Burma, Cambodia, and
Vietnam transit through
Thailand's southern border to
Malaysia for sexual exploitation
primarily in Johor Bahru, across
from Singapore. 5 Anecdotal
evidence also points to an
increase in trafficking of foreign
migrants for sexual exploitation.
Burmese, Khmer, Lao and ethnic
minority girls/young women have
been reported trafficked in
border areas and into major
urban centres and sometimes
through Thailand to third
countries such as Malaysia, Japan
and destinations in Europe and
North America. 6
Destination
Thailand is a destination country
for men, women, and children
who are trafficked from Burma,
Cambodia, Laos, People ’s
Republic of China, Russia, and
Uzbekistan for sexual and labor
exploitation. 7 Children are
trafficked for commercial sex
and forced labor in begging,
fishing, and fish processing.
Sometimes entire families were
trafficked for forced labor in
sweatshops. 8 Many Burmese
victims voluntarily migrate to
Thailand and are later coerced
into work in agriculture,
factories, construction,
commercial fisheries industries,
begging, or as domestic servants.
The ILO and a government
university reported that fishing,
construction, commercial
agriculture and domestic service
are the industries with the most
documented migrant workers in
forced labor, including children.
9 In September police raided a
shrimp processing factory in
Samut Sakhon and found more
than 100 Burmese workers who
had been held on the premises
against their will. The traffickers
were loosely organized small
groups, with Burmese, Laotian,
Cambodian, and Thai individuals
who transported victims along
the Thai border for forced labor.
10
Internal Trafficking
Thailand is a country with
internal trafficking of women
and children for commercial
sexual exploitation, and labor
trafficking.
Causes
There are many causes of
human trafficking in Thailand. 11
Many argue that Thailand is a
destination for human trafficking
because of its relative affluence
in the Greater Sub-Mekong
Region.
The Thai Government
The Thai Government was placed
in Tier 2 in the 2007 U.S.
Department of State ’s Trafficking
in Persons Report for not fully
complying with the Trafficking
Victims Protection Act ’s minimum
standards for the elimination of
trafficking but making significant
efforts to do so. There are
reports of local government
officials who are complicit in
trafficking. 12 Since the
September 2006 military coup,
Thai government efforts to
combat trafficking remain
uncertain.
The 1997 Prevention and
Suppression of Trafficking in
Women and Children Act
criminalize trafficking for sexual
exploitation. Penalties range
from imprisonment for a year to
life and fines of $50 to $1000.
Penalties for trafficking of
children between the age of 15
to 18 range from 3 to 15 years
of imprisonment and a fine.
Penalties for trafficking children
under the age of 15 ranges from
five to 20 years of imprisonment
and a fine. 13 Male victims are
not included in the victim
protection provision of Thai laws
for trafficking. There are no laws
that criminalize labor trafficking
and the trafficking of men. A
draft law which allows for
prosecution of all forms of
trafficking was finalized in 2006
but awaits passage in the
legislature. 14
Prosecution
The Government of Thailand
reported 88 arrests in cases
brought against traffickers in the
period from September 2005
through February 2007, involving
a total of 100 victims. No public
officials or law enforcement
officials were arrested for being
complicit in trafficking in 2006. 15
Protection
The Thai government provides
victim protection to foreign
victims of sex trafficking and Thai
citizens who have returned from
trafficking situations abroad. The
government supports shelters
where victims receive
psychological counseling, food,
board, and medical care. The
government also collaborates
with the International
Organization for Migration to set
up transit facilities and shelters.
The government does not
adequately identify its trafficking
victims; males have been
deported without interviews to
determine if they had been
trafficked. The government
allocated 500 million baht for
trafficking victim care in 2005 but
only 100 million baht has been
authorized since. In 2006, IOM
returned 343 people to their
home countries.
Thailand: the Trafficker of Asia
 
The south in general seems to be more mellow than the north. Is there a big cultural difference between the north anf south?

Not much to do with the culture (no culture teaches to treat women disrespectfully)... It is more to do with literacy levels I guess. The literacy levels are much higher in the south compared to the north and I believe thats one of the main reasons why people are more considerate to their fellow human beings.
 
The south in general seems to be more mellow than the north. Is there a big cultural difference between the north anf south?

No, its all the same. just perceived as not by some. bad behaviour is not more indicative of religion or race. It has do with socio- ecnomic situations.
 
u care about article a lot instead of paying attention to the blistering wound of women in indian society.

Why should we care, since there are lots of people living in some other countries are caring so much.
 
Child Abuses and Sexual assault on the rise in Thailand


A statistical report compiled by various child and women protection agencies show a worrying increase in abuse and sexual assault related crimes in Thailand. The report particularly focuses on a significant increase in rape and sexual assaults perpetrated on minors. Thailand, the 10th of October 2010: Published recently, the report shows that sex and abuse related crimes notified to authorities and involved agencies are on the rise in Thailand. Also outlined in the report are a number of possible preventative measures and treatments that need to be implemented in order to contain this prevalent issue in Thai society. Numerous foundations and agencies including the Child Rights Protection Center compiled the statistical evaluations of the pressing issue, with all agencies finding that reported instances of abuse and sexual assault were on the rise. Most significantly were findings that across the board, incidents involving minors were up by at least 15% in 2008 and 2009. The Prachabordee Center (Organised by the Ministry of Social Development & Human Security) reports the there were 161 reported cases of sexual abuse involving minors in 2008 rising to 188 for 2009. At present, the Prachabordee Center has recorded 157 cases in the first 9 months of 2010, with that figure expected to reach 200 by the end of December. In an even more worrying trend, the Friends of Women Foundation this year reported that incidences relating to sexual assault were not only increasing, but also that the age of victims were getting younger. The foundation conveyed that the most at risk age group targeted by sexual miscreants was 11-15- years-of-age, while the youngest report victim had been a 3-year- old girl in 2009. Ms. Suphensri Phuengkhoksoong, head of the Friends of Women Foundation, emphasis the dire need to stem the increase in child abuse and sexual assault, stating that it was the most pressing issue affecting Thailand across all social classes. “ We are in the midst of a systemic social crisis,” explained Ms. Phuengkhoksoong. Along with the relating physical and emotional trauma experienced by victims of sexual assault, organisations such as the Friends of Women Foundation were finding reports of permanent mental health conditions and disorders increasing in correlations with the crimes themselves. “Child victims are increasingly reported suffering from conditions such as insomnia, depression, anxiety and innumerable other disorders, while incidents of child victims being admitted to mental institutions are also on the rise, ” according to Ms. Phuengkhoksoong. Ms. Phuengkhoksoong also described a worrying trend in female victims being prevalent to acts of misandry (hatred towards men) or in severe cases, nymphomania (addiction to sex), as a result of their trauma. “ Victims found to be suffering from such conditions have little self-respect left as a result of their suffering and harbour deep resentment against the opposite sex, ” explained Ms. Phuengkhoksoong. The Friends of Women Foundation Ms. Phuengkhoksoong are actively seeking the implementation of a more concise ‘sex education’ program in both public and private schools in the Kingdom, also maintaining support for the mandatory participation of youths in martial arts and defence courses from a young age. Despite the availability of numerous organisations, foundations and agency to help sufferers and victims of violent and/or sexual crimes, education in Thailand and the nation ’s traditional societal values means many more victims of such crimes go unreported. Most concerned bodies believe unreported crimes may account for more than double those provided to the agencies and authorities on a yearly basis. In one of the most shocking cases in the last two years, a 6- year-old girl was raped by her biological father. The girl has since been admitted to the Emergency House Foundation suffering from numerous mental health conditions including early signs of nymphomania. Regardless of Thailand being a signatory member of the United Nations Human Rights Council, the country ’s issues pertaining to the rights and protection of women and children still largely go on unresolved and particularly unreported in the mainstream media.
 
Virada Somswasdi has been teaching law at Chiang Mai University since 1973. She holds a LL.B. degree from Chulalongkorn University and an LL.M. from Cornell University, USA. In 1986 she established the Women's Studies Programme (1993 developed as Women's Studies Centre and 2009 gave birth to Women's Studies Department) at Chiang Mai University. Her teaching subjects include Family Law, Feminist Jurisprudence; Law and Society; Women's Movement; Sex Crimes and Women's Human Rights. Among her many accolades she is the President of the Asia Pacific Forum on Women, Law and Rural Development (APWLD), was awarded 'Woman of Courage' by the US Department of State, and in 2002 was awarded Woman of the Year by the prime minister's office. Citylife: What is the status of women's rights in Thailand today? Virada: If you look at the legal side, things are looking good. The constitution ensures our equality with men, many laws have been amended and changed over the past few years, especially during the National Assembly in 2007, a great leap since the Constitution Court promised in 1974 to protect the rights of women - allowing women to be judges and prosecutors, equal minimum wages, etc. - but was destroyed along with the torn constitution after the 1976 coup. In 1995 the constitution added gender equality to it but specified no details until 1997 when they began to ratify it. Since early 2003, a few leaps have been made such as allowing women to retain their status as miss as well as their surnames on their ID card when married, as well as allowing for husbands to adopt their wives' surnames. This led to an eye raising outcome as many lawmakers who were against this change claimed that there was no interest in women to retain their surnames, hence the decades-long delay. However, within the first week of the law being ratified, over half the newly married women in Thailand kept their surnames rather than changing it to their husbands. While there are not many cases of women who have been married for a length of time changing their names back to their old surnames, this is more of a practical difficulty rather than a lack of conceptual interest. That having been said, we need to look at the comprehensive picture. While women can retain their surnames, it is still that of their fathers', therefore nothing much has changed. It is still a choice between two groups of men: fathers and husbands. If we wish to address the lingering problems, we must look at the roots, and that is that women need recognition and acceptance as a presence in society. Citylife: How does one go about changing these perceptions? Virada: We have to ask about women's contributions to society: economically, socially, legally and politically. If we are not recognised, then our status will always be as low as society perceives our contribution to be. As there is a misconception that those with lower income contribute less to society, the same goes for women. The liberal interpretation is that without education, opportunities and representation there is no recognition. Look at education; amongst the poor, there is a large percentage gap between boys and girls in school. When the economy drops, it is the girls who are forced by their parents to drop out first. The workplace reflects education. Citylife: To what degree do women contribute to Thai society? Virada: Statistics can be misleading and while they show that we do not contribute economically as much as men, much of what we do contribute - housekeeping, child raising, cooking, shopping - are not figured in as an economic value. Think of an ajarn here at Chiang Mai University who pulls in a full day's work but also has to do all of the above in order to save money for maids or cooks, when in actuality she may be able to contribute more income to her family if she worked. A vast amount of economic contribution is simply not factored in by the National Statistics Bureau, we are trying to change this. Socially, we are the reproducers, caretakers, nurturers, housekeepers, writers, educators, intellectuals...the list goes on. Yet not as many female artists or writers are as famous as their male counterparts. Except sex symbols. The question is not only whether society recognises our contribution, but to what degree? Do we even recognise our own contributions? Patriarchal values in Thailand have not only men as enforcers, but women too. We vote for male politicians, we seem to trust and believe in men more than women. Citylife: What are the challenges facing women in Thailand today? Virada: Even though things look good legally, there are still some laws which needs to be addressed as they are very biased towards men. For example the law on engagement prescribes that it has to be the man who starts and makes an offer of property, assets or cash to the woman's family for her hand in marriage. This allows either party to demand compensation when there is a breach of contract. But the annoyance is that men are still legally the ones who make the engagement; this is actually anti constitutional and anti human rights. If a woman asks a man for an engagement then there is no protection against breach of contract. Another injustice is sinsod (dowry). Giving money to the women's elders as a form of payment for mothers' milk...it looks good right? But what it means is that the man is giving money to the woman's respected elders in exchange for the fact that the woman is marrying him.
 
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